SEMIFINAL SUNDAY
Fairfield University Men's Basketball returns to the court at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the MAAC Championship Semifinals on Sunday, March 8. The seventh-seeded Stags and third-seeded Siena tip off from Atlantic City at 8:30 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Fairfield overcame an 11-0 start from Saint Peter's in Friday's MAAC Championship Quarterfinals, quickly erasing the early deficit and outscoring the Peacocks by 19 points after halftime to claim a 74-55 victory. Brandon Benjamin led the way for Fairfield, matching two career highs with 26 points and 15 rebounds.
 
Benjamin's 26 points came on 10-for-16 shooting, including knocking down his lone three-point attempt, along with a 5-for-6 day at the free throw line. His 15 rebounds were highlighted by six from the offensive glass.
 
Tony Williams also had a career day scoring the basketball, matching a personal-best 16 points to go along with three assists and two steals. Declan Wucherpfennig added a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds, including eight offensive rips.
 
Braden Sparks filled out his statline with nine points, seven boards and three steals.
 
Rounding out the offense, Eric Mejia scored seven points capped by a late five-point stretch that squashed Saint Peter's final run of the evening. Halon Rawlins added two points and Deuce Turner scored one.
 
COACH CASEY ON THE QUARTERFINAL
"That was just all grit and determination. I'm so proud of our guys and their effort, and intensity, and passion that we showed. We got something from everybody who checked in, whether it was a minute or 35 minutes. These guys are truly becoming a team at the right time. I told them in the locker room that I loved coaching them because I love being a part of that."
 
THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
Fairfield is seeking the fourth MAAC Championship in program history. The Stags won back-to-back MAAC Championships under Mitch Buonaguro in 1986 and 1987 and last raised the tournament trophy in 1997, guided by Head Coach Paul Cormier.
 
Along with the three titles, Fairfield also reached the MAAC Finals in 1996, 2003, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2021, and 2024.
 
ELITE COMPANY
Brandon Benjamin's freshman season slots the rookie among some of the biggest names in Fairfield and MAAC history. With 26 points on Friday, Benjamin surpassed the legendary Joe DeSantis for second place on Fairfield's rookie scoring list at 444 points and counting. Derek Needham owns the top of that chart with 558 points in 2009-10.
 
Already the most prolific rookie rebounder in Stags history, Benjamin's next board will tie La Salle great Lionel Simmons for the MAAC freshman record of 322 rebounds. Benjamin is on pace to be the first MAAC freshman to average a double-double for a complete season.
 
THIS SEASON VS. SIENA
Fairfield jumped out to a 17-6 lead over visiting Siena and never looked back on Feb. 27 at Mahoney Arena. Four players scored in double figures and the Stags led wire-to-wire in the 72-58 victory in the only meeting between Fairfield and Siena in the regular season.
 
Braden Sparks led the Stags with 19 points – including 14 in the first half of the wire-to-wire win. Also in the backcourt, Deuce Turner came off the bench and netted 17 points with a pair of three-pointers.
 
In the post, Isaac Munkadi drew the start and scored a career-best 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field. He also pulled down eight rebounds in his 25 minutes of work. Declan Wucherpfennig notched a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, setting the pace as the Stags held a commanding 49-24 advantage on the glass.
 
Tony Williams added five points, Eric Mejia scored four along with four rebounds and two steals, and the duo of Michael Rogan and Ryan Zan scored two apiece.
 
Overall, the Stags shot 31-for-60 (.517) from the field – their eighth game overall and sixth in MAAC play shooting at .500 or better from the floor.
 
US AND THEM
After Fairfield's win last weekend, Siena leads 49-36 in the all-time series. The teams have met eight times in the MAAC Championship, with the Saints winning seven. Fairfield's lone postseason win over Siena was also the only one held on a true neutral court rather than MVP Arena in Albany.
 
FAIRFIELD'S MAAC TOURNAMENT MARKS

Overall	38-41
at Boardwalk Hall (2020-pres.)	8-6
as #7 seed	11-6 (1 Championship)
vs. Siena	1-7
in Semifinals	10-9

 
20 PIECE
At 21-12, Fairfield has recorded the ninth 20-win season in program history. Chris Casey has led the Stags to 20+ wins in two of his three years at the helm, joining Ed Cooley as the only Fairfield head coaches with multiple 20-win campaigns.
 
SPARKS FLYING IN RARIFIED AIR
All-MAAC Second Team honoree Braden Sparks is fourth in the MAAC in scoring at 17.3 points per game. With 571 total points, he ranks eighth on Fairfield's single-season scoring list; Sparks is one point short of tying Troy Bradford (1988-89) for seventh place and 29 points away from the sixth 600-point season in program history.
 
Sparks' MAAC-high 95 three-pointers are tied with Ferron Flavors Jr. (2017-18) for third in a season in Fairfield history. He is fourth in the MAAC with 2.88 three-pointers per game and third in the conference among NCAA qualifiers with a .396 three-point percentage.
 
EVERY POSSESSION MATTERS
Fairfield holds an 11-5 record in one possession games during its three seasons led by Head Coach Chris Casey. Fairfield has won its last seven contests decided by three points or less.
 
The Stags are 26-13 in all games under Casey that were decided by either one or two possessions (six points or fewer).
 
SECOND TIME AROUND
Fairfield went 7-1 when playing a MAAC opponent for the second time during the regular season. Saint Peter's was the lone conference foe to win its second game with the Stags in 2025-26
 
Including this week's MAAC postseason wins over Manhattan and Saint Peter's, Fairfield is 9-1 against teams that they have played earlier in the 2025-26 season.
 
E IS FOR ELECTRIC
After a stretch where he scored just one point over five games, Eric Mejia has averaged 8.0 points per game over his last six, along with 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest.
 
DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
The MAAC Quarterfinal win over Saint Peter's marked the fifth time this season that freshman forwards Brandon Benjamin and Declan Wucherpfennig recorded a double-double in the same game.
 
UP NEXT
The 2026 MAAC Championship Game is set for Tuesday, March 10 at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.